


Protection

by Starkidjordan



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: M/M, Protective!Bucky, sam and bucky have a snarky relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-12
Updated: 2016-06-12
Packaged: 2018-07-14 17:31:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7183439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starkidjordan/pseuds/Starkidjordan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky finds out Tony once told Steve that everything special about him came out of a bottle... and he's not happy about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Protection

Sam and Steve are seated in the common area of their side of the palace, casually flipping through the channels on the large flatscreen mounted on the wall. Sam is occupying the long green couch that faces the television, his body stretching across it. His left arm dangles off the couch, remote in hand. The volume on the tv is low, and the captions are on, since rarely anything is in English. T’challa has been teaching Sam a thing or two about his language, and every now and then Sam mumbles a word he recognizes, trying out the unfamiliar words in his mouth. Steve is seated in a loveseat that is placed perpendicular to Sam’s couch, sketchbook in hand.

Bucky walks into the room, hair messy, rubbing sleep from his eyes. “Hey,” He mumbles, exchanging a soft smile with Steve.

“What’s goin’ on, Sleeping Beauty!” Sam hollers loudly, earning simultaneous and very unamused glares from Bucky and Steve.

Bucky’s been napping a lot since everything went down. It had concerned Steve at first, but after everything Bucky went through in the past few weeks– hell, the past seventy years– he’s pretty sure Bucky’s earned a good sleep.

Bucky watches the tv for a few minutes, standing behind Sam’s couch, before Sam turns his head, looking up at him. “Alright, man, you’re making me nervous, go stand somewhere else,” He says, waving a hand at Bucky.

Bucky scoffs, eyes rolling, and walks towards the loveseat Steve has claimed. However, instead of taking the space next to Steve, he plops himself down on the carpeted floor, and wedges himself in between Steve’s knees like it’s the most normal position in the world. Sam’s mouth gapes open, and when Sam looks to Steve, expecting to see a similar reaction, he finds that Steve’s face has not changed one bit. He’s barely even glanced up from his sketchbook.

“You two are the weirdest people I’ve ever met.” Sam states, throwing an arm over his eyes in exasperation.

“What?” Steve asks, glancing up at Sam, sounding genuinely confused. Sam looks back down to Bucky, who is now resting his cheek against Steve’s knee, idly watching the television.

“Y’know, Tony said _everything_ , but he was wrong… Steve, you’re so clueless, I _know_ that blonde isn’t from a bottle.” Sam says, and they both break into laughter, leaving Bucky to look between the two of them, totally at a loss.

“I regret ever telling you about that,” Steve says, grinning at his friend.

“Am I missing something?” Bucky says, brows furrowed.

Steve’s face suddenly changes, grin dropping off of his face, changing into something like forced nonchalance. “Oh, it’s nothin’ Bucky, really,” Steve says, avoiding Bucky’s eyes when he twists his body around to look at Steve suspiciously.

Sam looks between the two, bewildered. “Uh, no it’s no big deal. Just somethin’ Tony said to Steve once,” Sam says, sitting up. Steve glares urgently at Sam, shaking his head side to side quickly when Bucky turns back to Sam. “He once told Steve that everything special about him comes out of a bottle. Y’know, like referring to the serum–”

“He said _what_?” Bucky says quietly, his eyes narrowing.

“Buck–” Steve starts, scrubbing a hand across his face like he knows what’s about to happen.

“Who the _fuck_ does he think he is?” Bucky says, voice climbing in pitch and volume. “He’s– oh my _God_. Is everyone just gonna sit back and ignore the fact that your dumb, tiny ass fought men in back alleys for insulting a woman’s honor nearly twice a week? That you’re an incredibly talented artist? Jesus christ you doodle on _everything_ , how could he possibly miss that? Or, I don’t know, that you enlisted four times before you were picked for the fucking super soldier bullshit program anyways? That you threw yourself on a damn dummy grenade– which, by the way, I’m still fuckin’ pissed about– to sacrifice yourself for a bunch of idiots who did nothin’ but laugh at you?” Bucky is standing at this point, basically shouting to the Gods. “What, he thinks you were some kind of asshole before the serum? You would’ve dismantled HYDRA just the same if you were sittin’ here still as skinny as the day I met you. They don’t sell that shit in a bottle. What the fuck is his _problem?_  He didn’t know you then and obviously doesn’t know you now. God– I’m– I should’ve done worse to that package, Steve, I swear to Christ–”

Steve’s head snaps up at Bucky’s last words. “Hold on Bucky, what package are you– are you talking about the letter I sent Tony today? Bucky, what did you do to it?!” Steve stands, facing Bucky head on, who is clenching his fist and looking absolutely murderous.

“Nothing, Steve, I didn’t–”

“ _What did you do_?” Steve repeats, firm.

Bucky rolls his eyes, and brings his hand up to rub the back of his neck, suddenly sheepish. “I… I changed the name on the package is all.”

Steve is silent at this, obviously not expecting this answer. It’s Sam who pipes up, having been watching this all unfold from the couch. “What did you change it to?” He asks, causing Bucky’s head to snap to him, like he forgot Sam was even there.

“Uh… Tony Stank.”

There is silence for about five seconds. And then Sam bursts into a fit of laughter that causes him to fall back on the couch, clutching at his sides.

Steve just stares at Bucky, grinning. “God I missed you, Buck, you _asshole_.”

And just like that, Steve and Bucky sit back in their original position as if nothing had ever happened. Sam wipes the tears from his face once he’s calmed down, and he sits up, still chuckling. “Wait, for fucks sake– what was that all about, Barnes? Do you _usually_ freak out over the weirdest shit, or is that a new thing for you?”

Bucky just looks at him, challenging.

“What, the whole–” Steve says, gesturing vaguely with his hands, clearly referring to Bucky’s weird temper tantrum from a moment ago. “Oh, he’s very… protective.”

“Protective?” Sam says, glancing at Bucky, who is still looking at him with his assassin eyes. “Yeah… I can see that. Steve, remind me to never insult you in any context, ever again.”

They go back to watching the news after that, Sam attempting to relax back into the couch as best he can with Bucky’s eyes on him, watching him warily. He glances over at Bucky a few times, who gives up watching him when Steve puts a hand in his hair. 

When Sam notices the way Bucky’s eyes flutter shut at Steve’s touch, he makes a point to say absolutely nothing about it at all.

**Author's Note:**

> This reads similarly to my other fic called "Rain"... Maybe I'll expand that one into a sort of collection as well? We shall see. But for now, hope you enjoyed. :)


End file.
